Tray assembly and mechanism

ABSTRACT

There is provided a tray comprising a body having a base; and a mounting mechanism adapted to enable a food or beverage holding accessory to be removably mounted over the base of the tray through a clutching mechanism located at said accessory. The clutching mechanism can be a mechanical or magnetic clutching mechanism. The present invention also relates to a food or beverage accessory for use with a tray, and a tray kit comprising a tray and a selection of accessories each one having a clutching mechanism such that the accessories can interchangeably be mounted in and demounted off the tray based in the use desired; wherein each one of the food or beverage holding accessory has a structure adapted for a specific type of food or beverage.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to trays, in particular serving trays comprising a base and a mounting mechanism adapted to enable one or more accessories to be mounted over the base.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that serving trays are used to transport food and beverages, especially during events, in restaurants or in individually hosted parties, where drinks and food are served to guests.

Guests and attendees in these events usually are present in different areas. Transporting trays during such events to offer food and beverages to said attendees becomes complicated, especially where glasses and cups are presents in said trays. This type of tableware is susceptible to move and slide along the tray and even can be spilled thus provoking unwanted accidents to the user of the tray and also to the guest. On the other hand, using basic trays critically depends on the ability of the user to properly balance the content of the tray, in particular when the user has to simultaneously remove some food or beverage from the tray and serve them to the guest, thus affecting the weight distribution of the tray.

Also, traditional trays are not customized to hold specific types of food or beverage.

To address these problems, several approaches have been disclosed before, but none was found satisfactory.

Therefore there is a need to provide an improved tray able to overcome all the above mentioned concerns.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore it is an object of the present invention to provide a serving tray able to improve stability and safety of food and beverage during transportation thus avoiding any unwanted spillage of the tableware, in particular cups and glasses.

As a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a tray comprising:

-   -   a body having a base; and     -   a mounting mechanism adapted to enable a food or beverage         holding accessory to be removably mounted over the base of the         tray through a clutching mechanism located at said accessory.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mounting mechanism comprising one or more rails adapted to engage the clutching system mechanism of the accessory, the engagement enabling the accessory to be securely held in place on the tray.

Preferably, the clutching mechanism is a mechanical or magnetic clutching mechanism.

In a still preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mechanical clutching mechanism comprises one or more grooves adapted to securely receive and engage the rails for holding the accessory securely in place on the tray.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic clutching mechanism comprises one or more pieces of magnet adapted to magnetize the rails and to hold the rails securely in place on the tray through the magnetic effect, the rails being made of a ferromagnetic material adapted to be magnetized by the magnet.

In a still another preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupled accessory has a circular shape and comprising a circular groove located at a predetermined position in such way that the circular accessory is adapted to be mounted onto the rail through said circular groove, and wherein said accessory is movable around its central axis.

In a still preferred embodiment of the present invention, two or more accessories are simultaneously mounted on the trails.

In another embodiment, the present invention also provides a food or beverage accessory for use with a tray, the tray comprising a body having a base, the accessory comprising:

-   -   a clutching mechanism adapted to enable the food or beverage         holding accessory to be removably mounted over the base of the         tray through a mounting mechanism located at said tray.         Wherein said tray and accessory are as defined above

In a still other embodiment, the present invention provides a tray kit comprising:

-   -   a tray comprising a body having a base and a mounting mechanism         as defined above;     -   a selection of food or beverage holding accessories each one         having a clutching mechanism adapted to be removably mounted         over the base of the tray through the tray mounting mechanism         such that the accessories can interchangeably be mounted and         demounted in and off the tray based in the use desired; wherein         said clutching mechanism is as defined above:     -   wherein each one of the food or beverage holding accessory has a         structure adapted for a specific type of food or beverage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of a tray according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an accessory according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate a plan view of some examples of accessories according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The tray of the present invention incorporates various features and combinations for improving the security and safety during the transportation of food and drinks.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a tray according to one embodiment of the present invention. The tray comprises a body having a base 110 and two side panels 120, each of said panels 120 being integrated with the base 110 thus forming the frame structure or the body of the tray (110+120). In one embodiment of the invention, the base 110 is square or rectangular having two pairs of opposite sides, a first pair of opposite sides having a first side and a second side and a second pair of opposite sides having a third side and a fourth side. One of the side panels 120 is located at a first side of the base 110 and the other side panel 120 is located at a second side of the base 110 opposite the first side. The base 110 has a top side and a bottom side, and both side panels 120 extend outwardly from the top side of the base 110. The side panels 120 are preferably in the form of side walls forming a part of the edges of the tray.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base 110 has a rectangular shape. However other geometries such as square, triangular or circular shapes are also possible.

The tray of the present invention has an adequate size to be held by a user without any difficulties. In a preferred embodiment, the width of the tray is within the range of 20-40 cm, preferably 30 cm and more preferably 27 cm. The length of the tray may range from 20 cm to 70 cm; preferably, from 25 cm to 60 cm. Examples of preferred sizes of the tray of the present invention are 27 cm×27 cm; 35 cm×27 cm and 55 cm×27 cm (Length×Width). In the case of a circular shape of the tray, the sizes of the tray of the present invention may range from 20-40 cm in diameter, preferably, 30 cm and more preferably, 27 cm in diameter.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the base 110 and side panels 120 are made of a strong material able to hold a certain weight of articles, in particular glasses, cups and teapots. Preferred materials that can be used are selected from plastic, such as melamine or acrylic, or wood. Preferably, the base 110 and both side panels 120 are made of wood.

The tray further comprises two rails 130 extending along the second pair of opposite sides of the base 110 such that one of the rails 130 extends along the third side of the base 110 and another rail 130 extends along the fourth side of the base 110 opposite the third side. The rails 130 are supported by the side walls 120 at their extremities which preferably have openings adapted to receive and securely hold the rails 130. In one embodiment, the rails are securely held in place inside the openings of the side panels 120 using screws 131.

The rails 130 of the present invention are made of any adequate material. Examples of materials that can be used for this purpose are selected from plastic, wood and metal, preferably, metallic material, more preferably, stainless steel.

As illustrates in FIG. 1 an accessory 140 is configured to be mounted on the rails 130. The accessory 140 comprises a clutching mechanism (not shown) located at the bottom side of the accessory 140 at a predetermined position, such that the clutching mechanism is adapted to be clutched to the rails 130 and therefore the accessory 140 is securely held in place using the rails 130.

In an embodiment of the invention, the clutching mechanism is a magnetic clutching mechanism adapted to securely hold the accessory 140 on the rails 130 through a magnetic effect.

In an embodiment of the invention, the clutching mechanism of the accessory 140 comprises magnets and the rails 130 comprise ferromagnetic material such as iron or nickel, preferably iron, adapted to be magnetized by the magnet. The magnets are positioned within the accessory 140 in a manner for enabling the accessory 140 to be securely coupled to the rails through a magnetic effect.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the magnets and the ferromagnetic material can be located interchangeably between the rails 130 and the accessory 140 in such a manner to allow the accessory to be securely held in place using the rails 130. For example, the rails 130 can contain the magnets and the clutching mechanism of the accessory 140 can contain the ferromagnetic material.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the tray of the present invention more than one accessory 140 a and 140 b with different structures can be simultaneously mounted on the trails 130. In this way the user can easily select different types of accessories depending on the type of food and/or beverage to be simultaneously mounted on the tray.

According to another embodiment of the invention, the clutching mechanism is a mechanical clutching mechanism adapted to enable a mechanical clutching between the rails 130 and the accessory 140. The mechanical clutching mechanism can be a clicking or gripping mechanism for example. In an embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3, the accessory 140 comprises grooves 141 located at the bottom side of the accessory 140 at a predetermined position adapted to securely receive and hold the rails in place such that the accessory 140 is securely mounted on the tray by the effect of the mechanical clutching enabled by the engagement of the grooves 141 and the rails 130. The size of the grooves 141 is adjusted in such a manner that when the accessory 140 is mounted onto the rails 130, the accessory shall remain seized to give stability to the accessory, but at the same time the accessory 140 should be easy to be removed from the rails 130 so that a user can easily mount and demount the accessory 140 from the tray without any difficulties.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the accessory 140 is movable along the rails. In this way the user is able to easily move the accessories 140 from one side to the other of the tray if needed.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic mechanism comprises one or more pieces of a magnet located at the bottom side of the accessory 140, and at a predetermined position in such way that the accessory 140 is mounted onto the rails 130 through said one or more pieces of a magnet, and wherein the rails 130 are made of a metallic material.

The accessory 140 is adapted to hold said one or more pieces of a magnet, and wherein said magnet is located at a predetermined position. In an embodiment of the present invention, the bottom side of the accessory 140 comprises two openings containing the magnets. The shape of both openings and the magnet is preferably circular due to the nature of the magnet.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the bottom side of the accessory 140 comprises a coating layer comprising a magnetic material adapted to magnetize the rails in order to securely hold the accessory on the rails 130.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the tray of the present invention comprises a plurality of accessories 140 a and 140 b that can interchangeably be mounted on and demounted off the tray depending on the desired specific use (see FIG. 2). This is very advantageous since it is possible to have different type of food and beverage each located in a specific accessory in the same tray.

Different structures of the accessory can be used in the tray of the present invention. FIGS. 2-4 show examples of said structures where different types of food and beverage can be presented depending on the structure of the accessories. For examples, nuts can be presented in the accessory 140 a (see FIG. 2), while sweets in the accessory 140 (See FIGS. 1 and 3) or 140 b (see FIG. 2). Portions of cheese and/or toasted breads can be presented, for example, using the accessory 140 c (see FIG. 4a ) having an adequate shape 141 c for this purpose. Glasses or cup can be held, for example, using the accessory 140 d comprising one or more area having a circular shape 141D adequate to hold said glasses or cups as illustrated in FIG. 4 b.

In one embodiment of the present invention, when the frame structure or the body of the tray has a circular shape, the coupled accessory has preferably a circular shape and comprises a circular groove located at the bottom side of said accessory and along the periphery thereof; in such way that when the accessory is mounted onto the rail through said circular groove, said accessory is movable around its central axis. In this way the user can easily reach the refreshments by only moving the accessory around it central axis.

While only certain preferred embodiments of the present invention has been described, it is understood that many variations are possible without departing from the principles of this invention as defined by the claims below.

In particular, although the description has specified certain features and materials that may be used in the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many modifications and substitutions may be made. Accordingly it intended that all such modifications, alterations, substitutions and additions be considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A tray comprising: a body having a base; and a mounting mechanism adapted to enable a food or beverage holding accessory to be removably mounted over the base of the tray through a clutching mechanism located at said accessory.
 2. The tray according to claim 1, wherein said mounting mechanism comprises: one or more rails adapted to engage the clutching mechanism of the accessory, the engagement enabling the accessory to be securely held in place on the tray.
 3. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the clutching mechanism is a magnetic clutching mechanism.
 4. The tray according to claim 3 wherein the clutching mechanism is a mechanical clutching mechanism.
 5. The tray according to claim 4, wherein the mechanical clutching mechanism comprises one or more grooves adapted to securely receive and engage the rails for holding the accessory securely in place on the tray.
 6. The tray according to claim 3, wherein the magnetic clutching mechanism comprises one or more pieces of magnet adapted to magnetize the rails and to hold the rails securely in place on the tray through the magnetic effect, the rails being made of a ferromagnetic material adapted to be magnetized by the magnet.
 7. The tray according to claim 6, wherein the rails are made of iron.
 8. A food or beverage accessory for use with a tray, the tray comprising a body having a base, the accessory comprising a clutching mechanism adapted to enable the food or beverage holding accessory to be removably mounted over the base of the tray through a mounting mechanism located at said tray.
 9. The accessory for use according to claim 8, wherein said mounting mechanism comprises one or more rails adapted to engage the clutching mechanism of the accessory, the engagement enabling the accessory to be securely held in place on the tray.
 10. The accessory for use according to claim 8, wherein the clutching mechanism is a magnetic clutching mechanism.
 11. The accessory for use according to claim 8 wherein the clutching mechanism is a mechanical clutching mechanism.
 12. The accessory for use according to claim 11, wherein the mechanical clutching mechanism comprises one or more grooves adapted to securely receive and engage the rails for holding the accessory securely in place on the tray.
 13. The accessory for use according to claim 10, wherein the magnetic clutching mechanism comprises one or more pieces of magnet adapted to magnetize the rails and to hold the rails securely in place on the tray through the magnetic effect, the rails being made of a ferromagnetic material adapted to be magnetized by the magnet.
 14. The accessory for use according to claim 13, wherein the rails are made of iron.
 15. A tray kit comprising: a tray comprising a body having a base and a mounting mechanism; a selection of food or beverage holding accessories each one having a clutching mechanism adapted to be removably mounted over the base of the tray through the tray mounting mechanism such that the accessories can interchangeably be mounted and demounted in and off the tray based in the use desired; wherein each one of the food or beverage holding accessory has a structure adapted for a specific type of food or beverage.
 16. The tray kit according to claim 15, wherein said mounting mechanism comprises one or more rails adapted to engage the clutching mechanism of the accessory, the engagement enabling the accessory to be securely held in place on the tray.
 17. The tray kit according to claim 16, wherein the clutching mechanism is a magnetic clutching mechanism.
 18. The tray kit according to claim 16 wherein the clutching mechanism is a mechanical clutching mechanism.
 19. The tray kit according to claim 18, wherein the mechanical clutching mechanism comprises one or more grooves adapted to securely receive and engage the rails for holding the accessory securely in place on the tray.
 20. The tray kit according to claim 17, wherein the magnetic clutching mechanism comprises one or more pieces of magnet adapted to magnetize the rails and to hold the rails securely in place on the tray through the magnetic effect, the rails being made of a ferromagnetic material adapted to be magnetized by the magnet. 